Appearance: rich amber hue with no haze and a strong effervescence. Head is two thick fingers of frothy tan foam. Quite attractive indeed!

Smell: sweet and caramelly malt aroma -- indeed, almost too sweet. There's a light spicing of cinnamon and perhaps anise that is good, but overall it's a bit on the over-sweet side.

Taste: sweet, biscuity, bready, caramelly and a little bit spicy. Kind of like a high-ABV amber ale with some wintry spicing. Not objectively bad, I suppose, but far enough out of my wheelhouse that I'm really not too interested.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: I don't want to savage this beer, but an over-sweet, biscuity amber, with just a hint of winter spices, really does not do the trick for me. (814 characters)

Pours a murky copper color with a creamy off-white head that is slow to dissolve and leaves a medium ring with nice lacing down the glass as it is drank. The aroma is fluffy hops, malt, sap/pine and some spices. The flavor is grapefruit bitterness upfront followed by a caramel malt backbone. Its medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Its a good beer with a light aroma and a pretty sweet flavor with a soft bitterness. (503 characters)

500ml bottle poured into 10oz goblet. Bottled 10/23/14. Poured a cloudy orange-amber color with 1/2inch of light tan head that dissipated quickly to a cap, which then hung around for a while, and left very good lacing.

The aroma was a bit juxtaposed, yeast and hops up front, with malts and spice in the back. It worked the same on the palate, a hit of bright hops upfront, along with some tangy yeast, then some malts through the middle, with a kick of spiciness at the back. There was a slight bit of an alcohol bite at the finish as well.

The body was just a bit fuller than medium, but the combination of spice and alcohol on the finish grew a bit harsh as I drank my way through the bottle. Overall, a pretty good beer, reminiscent of a slightly bolder Celebration. Certainly worth trying if you see it, and, if you're setting up a trade with some one in DMs territory, worth asking for as a throw in. (909 characters)

Appearance- Pours up a whole bunch of head which looks to have really good retention. The head is an off-white/very light tan while the body is a medium amber which looks pale in the light. Considerable lacing has already been left.

Nose- Subtle to practically non-existent. Very small amounts of citrus, mostly orange. A definite clay that is the most dominant and seems to suggest cocoa. A tiny bit of mustiness or very low key dirty sock in the background. Swirling doesn't add anything to the picture.

Taste- Starts off with slight citrus which quickly gives way to clay and cocoa and then more straightforward, bitter hops. Some pine and resin and a whole lot of spice on the finish. Very woody. Citrus extends itself to the middle and meets some caramel. Bitter hops are very well rounded and are fairly accessible. Caramel really goes a long way especially when the matchstick and grapefruit notes of the bittering hops start to make themselves known. Cocoa even suggests a touch of chocolate. More of a strictly hophead beer but I still kind of like it. Some notes of armpit and dirty sock. Above average to good, leaning mostly toward good. No real flaws and I understand the comparisons to Celebration. Should be enjoyable to fans of that brew.

Mouthfeel- Between light and medium bodied with a little too much carbonation. Not that big of distraction though.

Drinkability- Fairly easygoing. No notion of the heat. The bitterness is only but a tiny obstacle. 3-4 bucks is okay for a one time purchase but I'd rather pick up a six pack of something comparable for cheaper.

Overall- Above average to good, mostly good. Has a few quirks that help distinguish from just another winter IPA and make it worth a try. (1,729 characters)

Bought the Fa La La La from Zupan's for $4.99 for the perfect pint. The pour was bronzed orange with a small foam head around 1 finger or so. Lacing was at the top but didn't follow the glass down. The smell was more malty then hoppy. I didn't get much in the way of hops but it had a nice grainy early smell with some orange.

The taste was light on the malt and good bitterness from the Centennials. The mouthfeel was soft on the palate and the hops left a tingle on the tongue. Overall it was a pretty good beer I would drink more often if I lived in Hood River during the winter. (583 characters)

Pours a half finger of head on a cloudy darker straw body.The aroma is grainy. The taste is malty yet hoppy. Great balance. Caramel, pine and grapefruit flavors.The texture is crisp with soft edges.Quite enjoyable. (218 characters)

Pours a hazy copper with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and slight herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest, herbal hop, and slight fruity flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty and easy to drink. (548 characters)

t: caramel and alcohol up front. i'm surprised how strong the alcohol is right away here being 7.5%. there is an earthy bitterness, fresh biscuits and grain, hint of prunes. finishes with the sweet malt - the sweetness is malty, not so much caramel

m: medium, with a syrupy feeling in the mouth and a lower amount of carbonation (surprising given the head)

o: honestly, I've been liking what I've had from Double Mountain so far, but this one is too alcohol-heavy in the flavor. it kills all the sweet and fruity flavors. even that toasty, earthy bitterness is overshadowed by the alcohol. (892 characters)

A hoppy winter brew in the vein of Sierra Nevada Celebration, or maybe an overly bitter version of Lagunitas Sucks.

Lovely dark amber color, somewhat hazy, with a modest foam in the Mort Subite globe. Plenty of carbonation. Tangy, hoppy, and spicy flavors, this is a pleasure to sip. It's a little bitter for quaffing, I say.

Some roasted malt with a hint of butterscotch. Fruity hop notes make me think of grilled pineapple with a dose of rum. Alcohol and carrot juice. Hot cider with leaf mold and grapefruit peel. Good, though. Quite bitter aftertaste. From the 500 ml bottle bought at Bine & Vine in San Diego. (616 characters)

taste: not a winter warmer, but rather just a seasonal IPA, and a pretty good one. Orange peel, holiday spice, caramel malt, grapefruit rind, biscuity malt. I'm not a huge double mountain fan, but I think I like this better than their other hop-forward offerings

Poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass. Pours a clear, coppery amber with a finger of off-white head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, citrus hops and light holiday spicing, particularly cinnamon, sweet. Flavor starts with mild caramel malt and citrus hops, then rapidly builds to an interesting complex piney, citrus, slightly floral hop and spice middle and finish, ending with lingering light estery fruit and herbal hops and grassy hops bitterness. Medium bodied with nice carbonation. I was underwhelmed at first, but then was impressed by the interesting flavor progression and quite nice finish. I looked forward to experiencing the complex flavors each sip. The success seems to be due to a nice malt body that is subtle at first, but supports some reasonably intense hopping. I liked this and will add to my winter rotation. I like this brewery's use of returnable bottles and am glad that their beer is interesting enough to cause me to keep returning to them. (991 characters)

This is probably my favorite winter warmer in my area besides Jubleale and Vinter Varmer. I'm a local in Hood River, so I'm biased, but it really is a quality beer. Full bodied, balanced with a great malt profile for a winter seasonal. (237 characters)

Growler ($12) procured at Double Mountain, the only place you're going to find this during 2011 holiday season, hand carried back to The Big, shared with homeboys at Twelve Beers of Christmas tasting, 12.18.11.

One finger off-white head, medium size bubbles with good retention and nice lacing over medium reddish amber clear body, multiple streams of rising carbonation. Huge citrus hop hit in the nose balanced by dry malt aromas. Taste is hop bomb, some floral but mainly citrus, the dryish malts let the hops really shine. Medium mouthfeel, really good effervescence. Not sure this belongs in the 'catch all' Winter Warmer category, much more of a Winter IPA given the aggressive hopping and dryish malts. Tasty. (717 characters)